Joseph keene



2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

(No Model.)

J. KEENE. DOOR CHECK. No. 454,360. Patented June 16,1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. KEENE. DOOR GHBG'K.

No. 454,360. Patented June 16,1891.

J rags NiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH KEENE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO THE CHICAGO SPRING BI TT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DOOR-CHECK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,360, dated June 16,1891.

Application filed December 3, 1890. Serial No. 373,443. (No model.

To to whom itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH KEENE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Checks, ofwhich I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and eX- actdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this to specification.

This invention has relation more particularly to that class ofdoor-checks commonly known as pneumatic door-checks, wherein there isemployed a cylinder within which i 5 air will be compressed by a pistonto resist the violent closing or slamming of the door.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a door fran1e anddoor having my improveddoor-check applied thereto. Fig. 2

is a viewin vertical section through the door and its lintel, andthrough the cylinder of. the improved door-check, parts of thedoor-check being shown in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail view inlongitudinal section through the piston of the door-check. Fig. 4. is afrac tional view from one side, showing the rear end of the piston andits connections; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but taken fromthe opposite side of the piston. Fig. 6

is a front end view of the piston. Fig. 7 is a view of the rear end ofthe piston, parts being shown in section. Fig. 8 is a detail perspectiveview of the adjustment-ring. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1, butshowing the piston 3 5 and cylinder in different positions. Fig. 10 is aview in vertical section through the door, showing the cylinder and itsbracket attached thereto and in side elevation. Fig. 11 is a view inperspective of the bracket for sustain- 4o ing the cylinder. Fig. 12 isa front View of the cylinder, parts being shown in section for betterillustration.

In the construction of that class of pneumatic door-checks to which myinvention 5 more particularly relates it is very desirable that the bodyof air to be compressed shall be of such size as to successfully resistthe violent slamming or closing of the door. For this reason it iscustomary to make the cylinders of considerable length, and it iscustomary also to employ a small piston-rod provided at its end with apiston of suitable size to work within the cylinder.

One of the objects of my present invention is to avoid the necessity formaking the cylinder of such size as to be unsightly and clumsy in orderto enable it to hold the proper volume of air to be compressed, and thisobject I have accomplished by forming the piston as a hollow piston, sothat a portion of the volume of air to be compressed shall be within thepiston. In other words, the piston, being hollow, will co-operate withthe cylinder in affording a large reservoir wherein the air may bemomentarily compressed, while at the 6 same time the piston shallperform as well its function in compressing the air.

My invention also consists in improved means for sustaining the pistonand its details of construction. In this class of devices it isdesirable that some means shall be provided whereby the cylinder can beheld either upon the door-face or upon the lintel of the door-frame, andwith devices of thischaracter heretofore employed it is customary toprovide the cylinder with two brackets, one of which is suited forattaching the cylinder to the door-face, and the other of which isadapted for sustaining the cylinder upon the lintel. So

A further object of my invention is to so construct the cylinder and itsbracket that the same bracket will serve to sustain the cylinder eitherupon the doorfaoe or upon the lintel. This object I have accomplished byproviding the cylinder with an extension and with a bracket adapted tobe connected to the cylinder in either of two positions, so that theattachment of the cylinder to the door-face or lintel can be readilyeifected.

My invention further consists in the novel features of constructionhereinafterdescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andparticularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.9 5

The cylinderA of my improved door-check is preferably a cylinder open atone end, as shown, and having its opposite end closed. Upon oppositesidesof this cylinder are formed suitable lugs or extensions a, wherebythe cylinder is connected to a bracket B, that serves to attach thecylinder in position upon the door or the lintel.

lVhile my invention is designed to cover,

I 5 broadly, the feature of a cylinder provided with means whereby itmay be connected in two positions to its supporting-bracket, I prefer tocarry out this invention by the construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawings-that is to say, the lugs or extensions a (if twoof such lugs or extensions be used) are provided with perforations a anda these perforations extending at right angles to each other, as moreparticularly shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings. Each of the perforationsa, and a? are of size adapted to admit the arm I) (one or more) of thebracket B, and through the sides of the lug Ct pass the set-screws awhereby the adjustment of the cylinder upon the bracket B can beeffected and whereby the cylinder can be firmly secured upon thebracket. If a sustainingbracket B having only a single arm is to beemployed, then this arm will preferably be made square, and the holesthrough the lugs a of the cylinder will be made correspondingly squareto better guard against the turning of the cylinder upon the arm. It isobvious, however, that any other suitable means may be employed forconnecting the lug a of the cylinder to the arm Z7 without departingfrom the spirit of my invention so long as provision is made whereby thecylinder can be attached to the arm of the bracket in either of twopositions.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be seen that thearms I) of the bracket B, when in the perforations a that extend atright angles to the body of the cylinder, will hold the cylinder inproper position beneath the lintel of the door-frame, and by referenceto Figs. 9 and 10 it will be seen that when the armsb of the bracket Bare in the perforations a, that extend in the plane of the length of thecylinder, the cylinder may be conveniently held upon the face of thedoor.

My improved piston O is formed hollow, as shown, and at its free end isfurnished with a packing-ring D, preferably of leather or other suitableflexible material. This packing-ring has its lower portion seatedagainst the annular flange or rim 0 of the piston and is held in placeby means of a cap E, that is screw-threaded (see Fig. 8) to engage withthe correspondingly screw-threaded end of the piston. E serves to holdin place also the spring-plate F, the outwardly-bent arms of which bearupon the washer D and serve to hold it normally extended. The cap E isan open cap, (see Fig. 5,) the openings being preferably of suitableshape to permit the cap to be readily screwed to its seat, and to permitalso the 6 free access of air to the interior of the piston C. The innerend of the piston O is provided with the arms 0 and c throughwhichpasses The peripheral flange e of the capa suitable pivot-bolt G, thatpasses also through the armsh of the piston-bracket H. Ugon thispivot-bolt G is mounted a coiled spring K, one end of which is held bythe slot g (see Fig. 3) of the pivot-bolt G, while its opposite endbears against the face of the bracket H. The pivot-bolt G has its headflattened upon one side (see Fig. 5) to bear against a log 0 fixed tothe rear portion of the piston O, and the engagement of the lug c withthe head of the pivot-bolt Gr insures that the bolt shall move in unisonwith the piston, and viceversa. Hence it is plain that as the coiledspring K turns the bolt G it will serve to swing the piston C as thebolt G is so turned. Upon the opposite end of the bolt Gis fastened anadjustable stop or arm L, this arm being held in any desired positionwith respect to the bolt by means of a setscrew G, that clamps the armfirmly to the end of the bolt, the. bolt G being threaded to receive theset-screw G. The stop-arm L is adapted to contact with a suitableshoulder or projection L upon the bracket II. The purpose of thisstop-arm L is to limit the extent of movement of the piston 0 under theinfluence of the coiled spring K, and it is obvious that by setting thestop -ar1n L by means of the set-screw G the piston C will be allowed toswing to a greater or less extent, in order to enable its free end to beproperly brought coincident with the mouth of the cylinder A when thedoor is closed. The piston C is furnished, preferably, at its rear endwith a suitable vent-hole c, that can be more or less obstructed by ascrew-valve 0 as seen more particularly in Figs. 3 and 7 of thedrawings, the screw-valve c passing partially through a lug 0 formed atthe rear end of the piston.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved door-checkwill be seen to be as follows: hen the door is open, as seen in Figs. 1and 9, the piston 0 will be completely withdrawn from the cylinder A. Itnow the door be released, so that it can be closed by the usual springmechanism, it will be found that immediately before the closing of thedoor the piston C will enter the cylinder A and will compress the volumeof air within the cylinder and the piston, thereby forming a cushion ofair that serves to momentarily check the movement of the door. As thevent c in the piston 0 permits the escape of the air both from thepiston and the cylinder, it is plain that as soon as the pressure uponthe air within the cylinder and the piston is relieved the door can becompletely closed. hen the door is to be opened, the ready withdrawal ofthe piston C from the cylinder A is permitted, as a free vent for theair within the cylinder and piston is allowed by the hole 0 and by thecollapsing or 0011- traction of the packing ring or washer D.

In order to set the cylinder A and piston O in proper position withrespect to each other-that is to say, in such position that the piston 0shall at all times properly enter the mouth of the cylinder AI provide aringlll, of lead or other suitable materiaLwhich when placed about theouter portion of the piston C will hold it in proper concentric positionwith respect to the cylinder A, and when the cylinder and piston arethus set with respect to each other their respective brackets will bepermanently fixed to the door and door-frame.

I do not wish the invention to be understood as restricted to theprecise details of construction above set out, as these may be variedwidely by the skilled mechanic.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a door-check, the combination, with a cylinder, of a hollowpiston, said piston having its free end provided Wi th an unobstructedopening of large area, whereby the body of air within the piston shallform apart of the aircushion for retarding the movement of the door asthe latter is closed, substantially as described.

2. In a door-check, the combination, with a cylinder, of a hollow pistonprovided at its free end with a packing-ring and a cap for retainingsaid ring in place, said cap being formed with an opening of large area,whereby a free access of air is permitted, the piston being provided atits inner end with a vent, substantially as described.

3. In a door-check, the combination, with a cylinder, of the hollowpiston having an annular flange 0 around its periphery at its free endand having the interior of its free end screw-threaded, a washer D, anda cap or clamp E, having an opening therein to freely admit air to thepiston, said clamp being formed with a screw-threaded portion and with aperipheral extension projecting beyond the cylinder to hold the washerin place, substantially as described.

4. In a door-check, the combination, with the cylinder, of a suitablepiston, abracket for said piston, a pivot-bolt G for connecting saidpiston and bracket,a coiled torsion-spring upon said bolt and betweenthe arms of said bracket, said spring having one end connected to saidbolt and having its opposite end bearin g against the bracket, and astop plate or arm adj ustably mounted upon said bolt for limiting theextent of movement of the piston, substantially as described.

5. In a door-check, the combination, with the cylinder, of a bracketprovided with an arm for sustaining said cylinder, and means such, forexample, as a lug shaped to engage said arm in two positions-wherebysaid bracket may be attached to the cylinder with its arm extendingeither in the direction of the length of the cylinder or transverselythereto, substantially as described.

6. In a door-check, the combination, with the cylinder, of a bracket forsustaining said cylinder, said cylinderbeing provided witha lug orextension and said bracket being provided with an arm, said arm beingadjustable to said cylinder either in line therewith or at right anglesthereto, and a screw for uniting said cylinder and said bracket-arm,substantially as described.

'7. In a door-check, the combination, with a cylinder having a lugprovided with two perforations, of a bracket having an arm adapted toenter either of said perforations to sustain the cylinder in differentpositions, substantially as described.

J OSEPII KEENE.

Witnesses:

J. B. CARPENTER, Gno. P. FISHER, Jr.

